Directions
- PREP & TRIM: Rinse the chicken thighs under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Trim any excess fat, tendons, or loose skin and cut any meat so that the skin is long enough to fold underneath the thigh. Optional: scrape excess fat off underneath chicken skin
- BRINE PREP: Combine apple cider, water, brown sugar, salt, bay leaves, vinegar, and honey in a saucepan over medium heat and whisk until granules dissolve. Then, bring to room temperature before chilling in the refrigerator.
- BRINE TIME: Place chicken thighs in large Ziploc bag and pour brine over top. Seal, and brine for 3 hours in the refrigerator. After brining, rinse the brine from the chicken thighs and pat them dry with a paper towel.
- SEASONING: Apply a generous amount of BBQ rub to the bottom of the chicken thigs and let rest for 30 minutes, keeping the skin in tact and covering the meat. Flip over and repeat, skin side up. Cut stick of butter into 8 tablespoon pats and place in the bottom of a 1/2 size aluminum pan. Place each chicken thig, skin side up, on each butter pat.
- GET GRILLING: Preheat your grill or smoker to 250°F. Place pan of chicken in smoker and smoke for 1 hour.
- Warm BBQ sauce in a pot on the stove, or in your grill. Dunk each chicken thigh in warmed BBQ sauce, shake off any excess, and place each directly on an upper grill grate, skin side up.
- Smoke for an additional 20-30 minutes, or until they reach an internal temperature of 180-185°F.
- Remove from grill, add to a pan, cover with foil, and let rest for 10-15 minutes.